Ronald Darby still doesn't understand pivotal pass interference call

Eagles-Seahawks Photos

SEATTLE — It was one of the biggest plays of the game, and Ronald Darby still doesn’t get what he did wrong.

Darby, playing in his fourth game in an Eagles uniform, was called for a 19-yard pass interference penalty while covering Doug Baldwin late in the first quarter of the Eagles-Seahawks game.

At that point, the Eagles were trailing by three points, but the DPI gave the Seahawks a first down on the Eagles' 16-yard-line and after another Eagles penalty Russell Wilson gave the Seahawks a 10-0 lead with a TD pass to Jimmy Graham.

The Seahawks aren’t in the business of giving back double-digit leads at home, so that penalty was really a pivotal point in the game.

“I asked [the ref], ‘What did I do wrong,’” a frustrated Darby said after the game. “I’m breaking on a seven (route) and the guy is running upfield and runs into me. What else do you want me to do, step out of his way?

“He said, ‘You made contact. You jabbed him while the ball was in the air.’ OK, ref. You just have to move on.”

The Eagles were penalized seven times for 64 yards in the Seahawks’ 24-10 win at Century Link Field. Four of the penalties were committed by the Eagles’ secondary.

“End of the day, you can’t play a team and the refs,” Darby said. “That’s hard to do.”

Darby’s penalty was his first as an Eagle. In all, the Eagles have committed 92 penalties for 742 yards in 12 games. Among the defensive backs, Jalen Mills (five) and Rasul Douglas (four) have been the most penalized. Patrick Robinson has been called twice and Malcolm Jenkins, Corey Graham and Dexter McDougle once apiece.

Darby said he’s not going to change the way he plays the game, no matter how many penalties he gets called for.

“I’m not going to go no less physical,” he said. “I only know one style. I only know one way to go and that’s hard.

“The refs got their job, they make mistakes sometimes, sometimes they miss stuff. I’m going to keep playing like I play. One way to play and that’s to compete. That’s how it is.”

It's 3rd-and-5 from the Eagles' 30-yard line. Wentz is in shotgun with LeGarrette Blount flanking him. One tight end on the same side. Alshon Jeffery at the top of the screen, Torrey Smith at the bottom. Nelson Agholor (circled) is being given a cushion by Rams cornerback Nickell Roby-Coleman. The aptly named cornerback is the Rams' slot corner in their nickel package.

The running back and tight end stay in to block, which creates a lot of room in the middle of the field for Agholor vs. Roby-Coleman. Wentz is locked in. The Eagles need to get to the 35-yard line for a first down, so Agholor reaches the top of his route at the 39, before cutting back.

You can see there's not much of a window here, but this is a back shoulder throw that has to be perfect.

It's a tight window, and although Wentz hits Agholor in the hands, Roby-Coleman is able to get a paw in there to deflect it to Kayvon Webster, who broke toward the play. Webster picked off the ball on the deflection and the Rams took over in Eagles' territory and scored a few plays later.

This probably looks pretty familiar. It's 3rd-and-8 from the Eagles' 23-yard line. With 1:52 left in a two-point game, they know if they pick up this first down, they can pretty much run down the clock and escape Los Angeles with a win. This is huge.

Same play. This time, Foles is in shotgun with Blount next to him. The tight end on the same side; both will block again. Jeffery and Smith are the wideouts. But we'll focus on Agholor (circled). He's against Roby-Coleman again and has that cushion.

On this particular play, Foles actually threw a better pass than Wentz did in the first quarter. Now, Foles obviously isn't going to be Wentz, but this pass should at least give fans some confidence.

And confidence isn't lacking. At an absolutely pivotal moment of the game, Pederson went back to a play that produced an interception the first time. And he went back to it with his backup quarterback who hasn't really played much all season. It was gutsy, it worked out and it shows the head coach's confidence in his new QB.

On Wednesday, Pederson pointed out Foles and Agholor were able to complete this pass after not working together all week or all season. All those reps have been going to Wentz. Now, Foles will get the chance to work with Agholor and the other starters the rest of the way.

Report: Carson Wentz has surgery on torn left ACL

The surgery was performed by Dr. James Bradley, a Pittsburgh-based orthopedic knee specialist, per Mortensen.

The typical recovery timetable for an NFL player with a torn ACL is 9-12 months.

Two days after Wentz suffered the depressing injury in Los Angeles, he was at the Eagles’ practice facility Tuesday helping Nick Foles game plan for the Giants, even though it was the players’ day off (see story).

While Wentz recovers, the Eagles anticipate he’ll put on his “coaching hat” and do what he can to assist the offense.